Apple Introduces iCloud Drive With Document Sync And Storage

Customers have long complained about iCloud’s lousy cloud storage, and Apple has listened. At WWDC, Apple showed off a new integrated cloud storage feature for the Yosemite release of Mac OS X that lets you sync and store documents on Macs, iOS devices, and Windows via iCloud.

“With iCloud Drive, all of those folders are accessible in finder, you can store all your own files,” said Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior VP of software engineering. “And what the heck? We’re throwing in Windows, too.”

iCloud Drive will be located in the Finder, and will store any type of file. Currently, Apple limits iCloud storage to files created with Apple apps or devices. To store a file on iCloud, you’ll be able to drag it to the iCloud Drive on a Mac running OS X Yosemite or from a PC running Windows 8. Apple’s iCloud Drive page says this about uploading from an iOS device:

“Or start a new document using an iCloud-enabled app on your iOS device. Then you’ll be able to access those documents from all your devices.”

In addition, when you edit a document on an device, the edits are synced across all your devices. And Apple promises collaboration between apps, so you can access and share files across multiple apps.

Apple said both iCloud Photo Library and iCloud Drive use iCloud storage, and the first 5GB is free. Apple will charge $0.99 per month for 20GB, and $3.99 per month for 200GB.

iCloud Drive and other OSX Yosemite features are available to developers now, and to everyone else in the fall, Federighi said, and will be free. If you’re interested in getting access sooner, you can sign up on the Web and get access to the Yosemite beta during the summer.